NFL Christmas Results Set New 2026 Draft Pick Floor For Bengals Selection

Cincinnati is in an unfamiliar draft spot with Joe Burrow

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and director of player personnel Duke Tobin talk during practice at the Paycor Stadium practice field in downtown Cincinnati on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — The Bengals are officially guaranteed a top-14 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Wins by the Cowboys and Vikings on Christmas helped solidify a better pick floor for the Bengals, even if they do end up finishing 7-10 overall with victories in the final two games.

Cincinnati is currently picking ninth in the draft, with Kansas City hot on their heels after a fifth consecutive loss yesterday to fall to 6-10 a half game behind the Bengals.

The Vikings and Cowboys were in the same pick mix as the Bengals, but their wins vault them down the list and help Cincinnati, which entered Week 17 with a 51.1% chance to earn a top 10 pick on ESPN's Football Power Index. That projection is now 100% for a top 15 pick, something Cincinnati has had just one time since drafting Joe Burrow first overall in 2020.

Zac Taylor's team is doing all it can to finish at the floor of its draft projections and not the ceiling. Cincinnati has run the ball consistently well over the past month plus (43.8% rushing success rate since Week 12, seventh in the NFL) in that pursuit.

Chase Brown and Samaje Perine are finding the holes well. 

“It varies because of how the team’s playing us, you know, so whatever personnel we got on the field, he gets really good matchups. So there are a lot of times we make him one in the progression because if he gets the matchup, take it,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor explained to reporters about Brown's workload gauge each week.

The star running back should get plenty of touches this Sunday against Arizona as one of the Bengals rare late-round draft hits this decade.

Check out the current Bengals pick slate from Tankathon below:

Cincinnati Bengals 2026 Draft Picks | Tankathon

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